S2E19 - Strategic Finance: getting from Product-Market Fit to Go-To-Market Success Joyce Mackenzie Liu

Embarking on the journey from product-market fit to go-to-market success is a pivotal moment for any SaaS startup. It requires a strategic approach and a keen understanding of market dynamics. The CFO plays a crucial role in guiding the company through this critical transition. In this episode on the Grow Your B2B Podcast, we explore the important aspects and best practices that can help startups navigate this journey successfully. Our subject matter expert is Joyce Mackenzie Liu the Founder and CEO of Pegafund a company that provides fractional CFO services and leadership upskilling to high growth, investor-backed SaaS businesses. Joyce shares her insights on strategic financing for SaaS companies, particularly in achieving product-market fit and go-to-market success. She emphasizes the importance of understanding product metrics, customer feedback, and financial stability to determine product-market fit. Joyce also highlights the significance of having accurate financial reporting and leveraging SaaS metrics to make informed strategic decisions for growth. Furthermore, she discusses the evolving role of the CFO, emphasizing the need for business intelligence and commercial expertise in a rapidly changing market. Key Timecodes (0:28) Show and guest intro (1:24) Why you should listen to Joyce Mackenzie Liu (2:33) What is product market fit (5:29) How to recognize that a company Has achieved product market fit?  (7:57) What does go-to-market success actually mean? (9:0) Common financial mistakes companies make while trying to achieve go-to-market success? (11:27) How to get your books in order (12:06) The financial challenges when transitioning from product market fit to a successful go to market strategy (16:12) Which financial metrics take on increased importance after reaching product-market fit? (19:37) The best practices which impact the success of go to market. (24:21) How to measure the ROI (Return on investment) of the different go to market strategies. (26:28) What is the future of a CFO?  (30:31) How to grow towards 10K MRR (31:04) How to grow towards 10 million ARR (33:38) What Joyce wishes she knew 10yrs ago